I also like and enjoy Andrew's posts about Chicago and where he goes out to eat and how much it costs. It's amazing to me he can live there on ~ $24,000/year. Who knew?

Actually, my annual budget is currently $25,200. It helps enormously that I no longer have a car -- that keeps my costs down. I could pare it down even further if I were willing to get a cheaper apartment, of which there are plenty. But I think I'll stay put in my current place, at least for as long as I can.